first-foot

American  

[furst-foot] / ˈfɜrstˈfʊt /

noun

1. the first person to cross the threshold of a house on New Year's Day.

2. the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion.

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verb (used with object)

1. to enter (a house) first on New Year's Day.

verb (used without object)

1. to be the first to enter a house on New Year's Day.

first-foot British  

noun

1. the first person to enter a household in the New Year. By Hogmanay tradition a dark-haired man who crosses the threshold at midnight brings good luck

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verb

1. to enter (a house) as first-foot

Other Word Forms

• first-footing
  noun

Etymology

Origin of first-foot

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

first-foot

It was evident she had set him down in her mind as an unlucky first-foot.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

But our business at present is with the first-foot, and we must hold.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

Does the question of first-foot rest upon the colour of the hair or upon the sex of the person?

From Folklore as an Historical Science by George Laurence Gomme

The first-foot stamps the "luck" of the house—the good fortune or the evil fortune of its inmates throughout the year!

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various

He knew her at the first glance—it was the fair stranger—his mother's first-foot!

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 10 by Various